Perks
by Amelia Friend
Summary: He may not have much of a life anymore, but no one could claim there weren't perks. Sadiq/Serena.


**This was requested by Alexis, who wanted Sadiq/Serena - hope this lives up to what you wanted, even if I haven't _quite_ got Serena's voice _right_ yet, in my head - in a way that is not schizophrenic or crazy at all.**

**Well, after watching the remaining seven episodes of Sparticle Mystery in one day, I conclude that it was a teacher training day well spent, but ... that _ending_. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't ... that.**

**It would make for an interesting third series - maybe they'd have to try and get rid of the teenagers that are supposed to be adults, and bring back the real adults? I'm not really sure where they were going with it.**

**Well, hope you enjoy the story.**

* * *

He still remembers the first time he saw her, blue hair that wasn't hers yet suited her so well down to her shoulders, flying slightly behind her as she chased him and the few remaining members of his tribe through the base of Fizzy's games that was once a football stadium.

They were on different sides back then, she was Fizzy's number two, keeping the world free from adults, and he was the Leader of the Tribe that Fizzy hated above all else.

She was still cute - in a sort of ... I will control your life and make it hell ... kind of way, that made common sense step in and force him to jump back.

* * *

But then the race to the Quantum Nexus began, and they began to meet more and more, and everything about just became … confusing.

This was nothing like Kat … she had been his best friend, his co-captain, his … something that never got a chance to evolve because it was Callum, it had always been Callum, and he had always known, even if he still resented the newly badged Sheriff for it at times.

This... he never got the chance as to whether he wanted it to evolve or not... it just did.

* * *

Somewhere between helping her and her sister pull Holly out of a hole that would have killed her otherwise, and when she temporarily abandoned their rivalry due to Jeffrey coming into contact with the ichyflax flowers that _he_ had warned them about so many times, going as far as giving the lot of them a lift in their very … pink vehicle, all the way to the castle for more honey.

He liked that castle, even with the stuck-up make believe 'queen' and the 'royal knight' and the rest of the historical tribe falling into place around them, the foam jousting and the tricking of her into falling (or rather, being pushed) off of the plank.

There were some parts he didn't like so much, Jeffrey nearly dying was one of them, as was getting locked into what was barely more than an ancient storage room, minutes before he had to fight the Royal Knight, but more so by the fact that she hadn't actually done anything, he just followed her, for which he is glad that none of the other Sparticles ever _specifically_ found out about.

* * *

Things only got better from then on, (though to be fair, it was in respect to his budding love life only), they talked and they learnt about each other, even by accident, even while talking about how to escape from the _stupid_ traders that thought they had stolen the shipment of chocolate.

Then she risked her very _life_, going against Fizzy and against the Dims, and leading them away for long enough that they could recreate the statue of Artos, even if it didn't become the Quantum Nexus, it lead them to the correct place, the final clue they needed, if you will.

* * *

When she came back to the SpartiVan with him, with the rest of the Sparticles, he knew that she knew that something had changed – she couldn't go back to being who she was pretending to be anymore.

And then, when she had to head back to Holly, and she leant in, and in a split second, he forgot that they weren't alone, his Tribe (the one gathered around them) didn't trust her further than they could throw her, forgot that his Tribe would probably end up questioning his judgement, whether he could truly be objective, and for a split second kissed back.

* * *

She still had to leave, of course, still had to return to Holly and lay their trail for them and, after watching her disappear into the trees - with the blue bag of tennis balls hung over her shoulder and a half hidden smile of her face - he turned back to the rest of his Tribe, sat and stood around the open back doors of the SpartiVan, with varying levels of amusement and shock displayed across.

* * *

He supposed he deserved it, in a way, that's how he explained it to himself, after over a year - he wasn't sure how much over, but it was over - as Leader (or at very least, co-Leader) of a Tribe with such an eclectic mish-mash of personalities and people, that there was always some tension between some of them, just like in a real family.

That, after however long, of breaking up fights, and making meals, and sharing out food and toys and games and clothes and whatever else was needed, not to mention running from Fizzy, and whom so ever he decided to buy to chase them this time, he deserved a break.

But, even without a break, as he well acknowledged to his Tribe (with an admirably straight face) there were some perks to being a Tribe Leader.

* * *

**Thank you for reading, and please review,  
Mia.**


End file.
